By: Carl Manning, American Red Cross

Residents of the area came to the American Red Cross shelter in Union, MO, for different reasons but with the same need—a safe, comfortable place to rest and recover after a tornado struck their community.

or Steve Archer, it was because he needed a place for himself, mother and sister after a tornado heavily damaged their home in nearby Villa Ridge. But beyond that, it was a place where he could bring his beloved pets – a mix breed dog named Savannah that was his sister Rachel’s pet, plus five cats and a guinea pig.

When he called the shelter, he was told that his pets could come as long as they were kept in pet crates and separated from the other shelter residents.

I was told about the shelter and that it was pet-friendly, so I came here. This is the one—there was no need to call anybody else,” Steve said as he brought his family and their belongings in bags and cartons.

One Red Cross worker suggested covering the pet crates with blankets to provide the animals a sense of privacy and safety as they adjusted to their new surroundings, which Steve thought was an excellent suggestion.

“I feel amazing about this. Without the services of the Red Cross, I wouldn’t have had any place to go, so we’re all pretty happy about this,” Steve said.

As Savannah took in her new surroundings, she was held by Rachel while Steve joined them on the cot where they were sitting.

Rachel vividly remembers that terrible night and the actions she took to save her dog.

“I scooped her up in my arms and headed downstairs as fast as I could. Debris was flying everywhere, but all I was thinking about was getting her to safety,” Rachel said.

Steve said they had arrived home about an hour before the tornado struck, demolishing a large portion of their house.

“Trees fell on the house and blew the windows out of the car, and the roof above the living room came off,” he said. “My thought was getting everyone downstairs as quickly as possible. I feel lucky to be alive. We discovered the next day that all our pets were OK, so we were really lucky in that regard.”